See that Ye Be Not Troubled - May 30th, 2021

Breaking Bread with Barnabas  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  1:19:55
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See that ye be not troubled: the End is not yet, because we are still only in the Birth Pains.

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Pre-Introduction: At this time, we invite any children who desire to join my dear wife for a children’s service to follow her where you can hear a wonderful bible lesson and sing some uplifting songs about Jesus. For those joining us online, you’re listening to the joint Services of the First Baptist Church of Westminster. This is the Pastor bringing the Sunday Morning message entitled "See that Ye Be Not Troubled.” We invite you to follow along with us in your Bible in the Book of Matthew, chapter 24, and verses 1-8.

Introduction:

[Start Low]
Matthew 24:1–8 KJV 1900
1 And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple. 2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. 3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? 4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. 5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. 6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
Author’s Own Translation from the TR:
1 And departing, Jesus went out from the Temple: and His disciples came to point out to Him the buildings of the Temple. 2 But Jesus said to them, “See ye not all these? Amen, I say unto you all, surely not shall be left here a stone upon a stone, which shall surely not be thrown down.” 3 But, He sitting upon the Mount of Olives, the Disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when these shall be? and what [shall be] the sign of Your Advent, and of the Consummation of the Age?” 4 And answering, Jesus told them, “Watch out, lest anyone might lead you all astray. 5 For Many will come in My name, saying, ‘ I am the Messiah;’ and many will be deceived. 6 But you will continually be hearing about wars and reports of wars: You all must pay attention, not to become alarmed [or, troubled]: for all these must take place: but not yet is the end. 7 For nation shall be raised up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines and plagues and earthquakes in various places. 8 But all these [are] the beginning of birth pains [or, travail].”
A. Get Attention - Striking Statement:
ON THIS TEXT J. C. RYLE WROTE, “All portions of Scripture like this ought to be approached with deep humility and earnest prayer for the teaching of the Spirit.”1 Let’s begin where he suggested. Let’s pray for the Spirit’s help.
Our great God, we do ask for your wisdom today, wisdom that comes from your Word, and wisdom that comes through your Holy Spirit. So we ask that the Spirit, through his divinely inspired Word, would teach us about the teachings of Christ. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen. [PW MT]
B. Raise Need - Illustration
C. State Purpose-
D. Orient Theme-
The concerns of the Disciples about future things were calmed by Jesus:
He Warned them: Be On Your Guard for Deceivers
He Assured them: The End Is Not Yet
He Exhorted them: The Signs of the Times are but the Beginning of Birth Pains
Main Thought:
Are you concerned about the future? You are in good company.
Jesus Warns: Be On Guard for Deceivers
Jesus Assures: The End Is Not Yet
Jesus Exhorts: Signs of the Times Are But the Beginning of Birth Pains
Sub-introduction:
Overview of Matthew 24:
This chapter is one of the most fascinating and yet misunderstood chapters in Matthew. It, along with chapter 25, forms what is known as the Olivet Discourse. It is virtually entirely eschatological. Its focus is upon events befalling Israel during the Tribulation.
Several helpful keys to understanding the Olivet Discourse are to remember that (1) Matthew’s gospel was written for the Jewish mind. (2) The church is not directly in view in the Olivet Discourse. It already has been raptured to heaven. Rather, the focus is upon Israel during the Tribulation. (3) The Rapture has already taken place prior to the events discussed here. References to the coming of Christ are of His second coming in power and glory at the end of the Tribulation. The perspective of the entire discourse is of Israel as they are converted to Christ during this time of great confusion and judgment.
The final portion of Matthew 24 is a detailed description of the coming of Jesus Christ in power and great glory. This is in distinction to the Rapture. The key to understanding this passage is to remember that it is from within the context of the Tribulation and involves Jewish converts. The perspective is thus for believing Israel in that day. Nevertheless, there is fascinating insight of events then. A related passage is Revelation 19:11-19.
Body:

I. The Disciples' Concerning Questions (Mt.24:1-3)

[Go Slow]

A. Surveying the Temple (vv.1-2)

Matthew 24:1 KJV 1900
1 And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.
1. Jesus Departed from the Temple (v. 1a)
CHAPTERS 24 and 25 are very closely linked together. They give us what Sir Robert Anderson has called, “The second Sermon on the Mount.” All that we have here was uttered by our Lord on the Mount of Olives in answer to the questions of His disciples, “When shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of Thy coming, and the end of the world (or age)?” They deserve a much more careful consideration than we can give them here. In chapter 24 He shows the conditions that will prevail in the world during the time of His rejection and, more particularly, in what the prophet Daniel calls “the time of the end,” the great tribulation immediately preceding our Lord’s return as Son of Man, to set up the Kingdom of Heaven on this earth in power and glory. In the three parables of chapter 25 we have, first, in that of the virgins, the responsibilities resting upon His people during His absence and the importance of being ready to greet Him when He returns. In that of the talents we are reminded of the account which every servant will have to give in that day for whatever ability has been entrusted to him; and in the last we have the judgment of the living nations when the Son of Man comes in the clouds of heaven, with His holy angels, and sits upon the throne of His glory.
This judgment of the nations on the earth at that time is not to be confounded with the judgment of the wicked dead, when the great white throne is set up at the end of the kingdom age, which will be also the end of the world. The contrast is very noticeable between that scene in Revelation 20:11–15 and the pre-millennial judgment of Matthew 25:31–46. The two events are separated by a thousand years.
After His most solemn denunciation of the hypocritical scribes and Pharisees and His expression of grief over the blindness and in subjection of the people of Jerusalem the Lord left the temple courts where He had been preaching and teaching, and with His disciples walked across the brook Kedron to the Mount of Olives. Ere they left the city the disciples attempted to arouse His admiration for the beautiful buildings on the temple site. [Ironside, Expository Notes]
2. The Disciples Come to Show Him the Buildings (v. 1b)
“The world is not lacking in wonders, but in a sense of wonder.” ~ G. K. Chesterton
3. Jesus Sternly Prophesies in Rebuke Against the Temple (v. 2)
Matthew 24:2 KJV 1900
2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

B. Sitting on the Mount of Olives (v. 3)

Matthew 24:3 KJV 1900
3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
Picture of Jesus sitting on the Mount of Olives looking down on Jerusalem and the temple which he had just left. After the climb up the mountain four of the disciples (Peter, James, John, Andrew) come to Jesus with the problem raised by his solemn words. They ask these questions about the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, his own second coming (παρουσια [parousia], presence, common in the papyri for the visit of the emperor), and the end of the world. Did they think that they were all to take place simultaneously? There is no way to answer. At any rate Jesus treats all three in this great eschatological discourse, the most difficult problem in the Synoptic Gospels. Many theories are advanced that impugn the knowledge of Jesus or of the writers or of both. It is sufficient for our purpose to think of Jesus as using the destruction of the temple and of Jerusalem which did happen in that generation in a.d. 70, as also a symbol of his own second coming and of the end of the world (συντελειας του αἰωνος [sunteleias tou aiōnos]) or consummation of the age. In a painting the artist by skilful perspective may give on the same surface the inside of a room, the fields outside the window, and the sky far beyond. Certainly in this discourse Jesus blends in apocalyptic language the background of his death on the cross, the coming destruction of Jerusalem, his own second coming and the end of the world. He now touches one, now the other. It is not easy for us to separate clearly the various items. It is enough if we get the picture as a whole as it is here drawn with its lessons of warning to be ready for his coming and the end. The destruction of Jerusalem came as he foretold. There are some who would date the Synoptic Gospels after a.d. 70 in order to avoid the predictive element involved in the earlier date. But that is to limit the fore-knowledge of Jesus to a merely human basis. The word παρουσια [parousia] occurs in this chapter alone (3, 27, 37, 39) in the Gospels, but often in the Epistles, either of presence as opposed to absence (Phil. 2:12) or the second coming of Christ (2 Thess. 2:1). [RWP]
1. Their Approach: The Disciples Approach Jesus Privately (v. 3a)
2. Their Ask: To Ask Regarding Jesus' Prophecy (v. 3b)
(1) “When shall these things be?”—when one stone would not be left upon another; (2) “What shall be the sign of thy coming?”—The answer to this question is found in verses 23–51; and (3) “What shall be the sign … of the end of the world [completion of the age]?” The answer to this question is found in verses 9–22. The Lord Jesus is going to answer these three questions, and we call His answers the Olivet Discourse because it took place on the Mount of Olives. [Thru the Bible, 35]
Application:
The importance of personal and private prayer time to seek the mind of the Lord through His revelation.
Transition:
We each, like them, have questions that concern us related to that which we cannot know. Let’s turn now to consider,

II. Jesus' Comforting Answer (Mt. 24:4-8)

[Climb Higher]

A. He Cautions Them Against Deception (vv.4-5)

Matthew 24:4–5 KJV 1900
4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. 5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
1. Many Deceivers will appear with promises of false hope of deliverance
2. Many will be Deceived by them
SIGNS OF THE TIMES The disciples asked Jesus for the sign of his coming and of the end of the age. Jesus’ first response was “Watch out that no one deceives you.” The fact is that whenever we look for signs, we become very susceptible to deception. Many “false prophets” (24:11, 24) have counterfeit signs of spiritual power and authority. The only sure way to keep from being deceived is to focus on Christ and his words. Don’t look for special signs, and don’t spend time looking at other people. Look at Christ. [LABC Barton]

B. He Forbids that They Live Troubled (vv. 6-8)

1. The Headlines will continue to bombard with News of Wars (v. 6a)
Matthew 24:6 KJV 1900
6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
During the 2013 Super Bowl, a loss of power caused the stadium to go dark for a full thirty minutes. The game and all other activity ceased during this time of darkness. There was no mistaking the darkness and its effects. While Jesus’ predictions of the fall of the temple indicate multiple warning signs that might be confused with the timing of the actual event, there will be no mistaking Jesus’ return—his reappearing. It will be as clear and definitive as lightning in the sky (Matt. 24:27). [TTC Mt]
2. Do Not Live in Constant Alarm: THE END IS NOT YET! (v. 6b)
See that ye be not troubled (ὁρατε μη θροεισθε [horate mē throeisthe]). Asyndeton here with these two imperatives as Mark 8:15 ὀρατε βλεπετε [orate blepete] (Robertson, Grammar, p. 949). Look out for the wars and rumours of wars, but do not be scared out of your wits by them. Θροεω [Throeō] means to cry aloud, to scream, and in the passive to be terrified by an outcry. Paul uses this very verb (μηδε θροεισθαι [mēde throeisthai]) in 2 Thess. 2:2 as a warning against excitement over false reports that he had predicted the immediate second coming of Christ. But the end is not yet (ἀλλʼ οὐπω ἐστιν το τελος [all’ oupō estin to telos]). It is curious how people overlook these words of Jesus and proceed to set dates for the immediate end. That happened during the Great War and it has happened since. [RWP]
3. The Signs of the Times (v. 7)
Matthew 24:7 KJV 1900
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
Nations, Peoples and Kingdoms will be raised up against each other
Famines, Plagues & Earthquakes will be in various places
In addition to the wars noted above (see on v. 6), there were earthquakes in Antioch (AD 37), Phrygia (AD 53), Asia (AD 61), the Lycus Valley (AD 61), and Jerusalem (AD 67, see Luz, France). There were numerous famines and food shortages in the first century (e.g., the one predicted by Agabus in Acts 11:28), and famine is one of the eschatological woes noted in Rev 6:8; 18:8. These latter two involve creation and not human depravity and are part of creation’s “groaning” in Rom 8:19–22. All three are to be expected throughout human history. So the counting of earthquakes, tsunamis, and other disasters by prophecy preachers is erroneous, for Jesus explicitly says these do not signify the end. [ZECNT Mt]
4. These Are But the Beginning of the Birth Pains (v. 8)
Matthew 24:8 KJV 1900
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
It normally referred to the messianic woes that would usher in the final events of history, but here it is the “beginning” of that period Jesus is referring to. His point is the same as v. 6—wars, famines, and earthquakes do herald the start of the last days, but they do not constitute the eschaton itself, nor do they signify that it is near. The disciples should not listen to anyone who says such things mean the close of history and urge the disciples to follow them. They are false prophets, and their premature warnings should not be given credence. In this sense such events are like false labor—“signs” that the last days are inaugurated (the entire time between the two advents is called the “last days” in the NT, cf. 1 Tim 4:1; 2 Tim 3:1) but not signifying the end itself. [ZECNT Mt]
Application:
How can Americans be deceived into thinking the deliverer has come? Whether a president or other promising individual.
How can I develop the attitude of Jesus toward the Temple toward my own country? How easy to be enamored with all the greatness of America, but should I rather look upon her with heaviness in light of her continued digression away from her Biblical moorings?
In what ways can a city seal its own fate? by rejecting Jesus.
How can disciples be driven by headlines to live in a state of constant alarm?
How can we today know, like the disciples then, that truly, “The End Is Not Yet?” Simply because we are still in the Birth Pains.

Conclusion:

A. Call to Act/Summary of Message/Application:
G. K. Chesterton wrote, “It is only the fool who tries to get the heavens inside his head, and not unnaturally his head bursts. The wise man is content to get his head inside the heavens.”29 In this chapter we have attempted to do the latter, to poke our heads into this heavenly revelation in order to wrap our minds around the meaning and proper application of our Lord’s teaching. [PW MT]
We have questions, Jesus is the answer. See that ye be not troubled: the End is not yet, because we are still only in the Birth Pains.
B. Gospel Invitation
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